1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for assembling a pair of different fastener elements of a garment fastener, such as a snap fastener, a button or an ornament, and more particularly to a mechanism for delivering such two different kinds of fastener elements to the fastener-assembling apparatus separately through a pair of chutes.
2. Prior Art
Various mechanisms for the purpose described above are known which generally include a pair of separate feeders for containing two kinds of fastener elements separately, each feeder comprising a rotary drum of a reverted frustoconical shape. The frustoconical drum has in its lower inside edge a plurality of grooves spaced at equal intervals therealong for receiving the fastener elements. In response to rotation of each drum, the fastener elements therein are delivered successively to a respective chute leading to the fastener-assembling apparatus.
However, a common problem with the known mechanisms is that because the two feeder drums are driven by a single drive, high-speed delivery of two different kinds of fastener elements without impairing the same is difficult to achieve if the fastener elements of each kind have a different mechanical strength. If the two feeder drums were driven at the rate of rotation which is suitable for the mechanically weak fastener elements, only a low-speed delivery could be achieved. To the contrary, if the two feeder drums were driven at the rate of rotation which is suitable for the mechanically strong fastener elements, the mechanically weak fastener elements could be easily deformed or otherwise damaged.